NOTES
ON PRISON
IT TAKES FEW SECONDS TO LOAD THE DIAGRAM
04–07–25
The image of the watchtower is primarily a symbol of power. The first layer of this image relates to the significance of verticality in the composition of (not only) architectural mass. Vertical power is closely tied to the ability to rise above and oversee the subject who remains below. To be elevated and have oversight is simultaneously a physical manifestation of hierarchy. In the case of the prison watchtower, the principal representative of this hierarchy is the state and its security apparatus. Together, they are tasked with producing and representing a serene and obedient order–its violation is both observed and punished.
The element of punishment, the willingness to kill, and the exercise of violence have historically been associated primarily with the function of the tower within the prison grounds. Its image enables us to witness punishment without participating in it in any way. It confirms that the prison is fulfilling its putative function, even though its internal operations remain hidden from the public eye. 2
Today, the existence of the watchtower is easily called into question – prison security has acquired so many new layers of carceral control (motion detectors, CCTV, fencing with warning alarms, etc.) that the human labour required for continuous surveillance of a highly secure facility has simply become inefficient. The answer to why this surveillance system remains operational (as confirmed during a tour of the Pankrác prison complex) may therefore lie in the symbolic function of the tower outside the facility – or in what its presence communicates to the public.
For carceral power, the watchtower is a simple and effective symbol, above all because it is recognisable even to those who are not (and have never been) imprisoned, and its form remains largely unchanged across the world. It consistently represents the same function, woven from the threads of constant presence, faith in the system, and fear of the enactment of power. Its presence at the boundary allows it to intervene even in everyday life—the perimeter of power thus extends into the surrounding public space. Conversely, it is accompanied by the reassuring sense that as long as the tower stands, no one will escape from the prison, and the outside is therefore “safe.”
And this very notion fails on multiple levels. The fundamental issue is that prisons (and, by extension, the presence of police) do not guarantee safety. Both intervene only after potential acts of violence have occurred. Their intervention then merely reproduces violence from a position of power. The watchtower thus remains a manifestation of state power (and by extension its ideology), which – since the inception of the prison as we know it today–has never truly aimed for rehabilitation or prevention. Punishment becomes a source of profit and, at the same time, a state policy targeting the socioeconomically disadvantaged.
“The prison has become a black hole into which the detritus of contemporary capitalism is deposited.” 3
A parallel manifestation of this power can be found in the most prominent architectural verticals. A prime example is the ongoing competition for the tallest building on the planet, which presents the skyscraper as a typology embodying capitalist power. 4 More under the contribution about VERTICALITY.
1 ČSN 73 5720 (735720) Prison Buildings.
2 Jordan Frazier, The Tower: Prison architecture and the verticality of carcerality (Master Thesis), Eastern Kentucky University, 2017.
3 Angela Y. Davis, Jsou věznice překonané?, Prague 2021, p. 18.
4 John Fiske, Reading the Popular, London 2007, p. 214.
DIAGRAM RADIUS OF WATCHTOWERDIAGRAM
Image demonstrate the 300-metre action radius of the four watchtowers of Brno Remand Prison. From the centre of each tower, 360 rays were emitted, representing potential projectiles. The trajectory of each individual ray is delineated in a two-dimensional plan view, and in instances where a ray intersects a building, the object is indicated by hatching. In this particular diagram, the function of the buildings is to act as shields. A further potential protective measure could be the natural environment itself, including elevated terrain and woodlands. It is evident that these elements have not been incorporated into the diagram. However, it is possible to conduct an independent investigation by utilising the attached aerial map.
ADÉLA VAVŘÍKOVÁ
THEORETICAL TEXT
The project’s political dimension contributes to the discourse on prison abolition, while also serving as a professional appeal to the architectural community: to learn to recognise spaces designed for oppression and violence, and to refuse further participation in their production. Instead, it calls for the use of imagination as a design tool, encouraging the creation of a society grounded in care and social equality.
At the top of the webpage, readers will find (1) a list of frequently asked questions related to prison abolition, (2) a glossary of terms, and (3) a manual explaining the structure of the online archive, including its categories, tags, and entries.